Chapter 53: The Hero-Themed Restaurant

Her azure eyes were clearer than Ryuu's, captivating the viewer like a starry sky.

Her pure white garment, untainted by any impurity, outlined the unique curves of a woman's body, yet it also enveloped her soft limbs. Her demeanor, along with her appearance, evoked the image of a chaste and noble woman, though the deep valley formed by her twin peaks was somewhat distracting.

The title of [Goddess] existed solely for her.

She was the embodiment of purity, whiteness, and beauty, deserving of endless praise.

Goddess Astrea.

Ryuu's patron God, a transcendent being who governs "stars" and "justice."

Astrea maintained a gentle smile.

"Hello, Goddess Astrea," Suddenly meeting such a legendary God, Emiya found himself at a loss for words.

Astrea embraced him.

The soft and warm embrace left Emiya flustered.

"I see a brilliant starlight within you," Astrea whispered, "Thank you for everything you've done for Ryuu, Shirou."

The light emanating from the boy was not flawlessly pure; within the dazzling radiance, there were also traces of suppressed, heavy, and even distorted dark light. Yet, Astrea felt that Ryuu was better suited to follow such a light.

From the perspective of a transcendent being, Astrea saw the most fundamental trait of Emiya, steadfastness.

His will and spirit were like an unyielding holy sword, unshaken by any words or divine decrees. This absolute resilience, a mind free from internal conflict, was exactly what Ryuu needed.

Changing Ryuu's stubborn nature was no easy task; she needed a guide, and in Astrea's eyes, Emiya was the best candidate.

"I returned to Orario not only for Ryuu but also to meet you," Astrea said.

"Now, I feel assured to entrust Ryuu to you."

"...Thank you, Lady Astrea," Emiya gently hugged Astrea.

Hephaestus: "Ahem, that's enough, Astrea. Come take a look at this."

The Goddess of Fire coughed twice, separating Emiya and Astrea, then handed Aisha's note to Astrea.

Astrea picked up the note and began reading, her delicate brows soon furrowing, "Such a thing could actually happen..."

Hephaestus shared her concerns with Astrea, and the Goddess of Justice tilted her head slightly, pondering for a moment.

"[Beauty Elite] Aisha seems sincere. Just in case, I can meet her in person," Astrea said, "Hephaestus, your presence would be too conspicuous. I, on the other hand, can move unnoticed."

Gods can easily see through the lies of mortals, and Astrea, who had hidden her identity to enter Orario, could act in the shadows.

Astrea: "If the information from [Beauty Elite] can be confirmed, I can think of three methods to deal with the Ishtar Familia."

"The first method is to directly engage in a Familia war with the Ishtar Familia, launching an attack before the next full moon to rescue Sanjouno Haruhime from their grasp," Goddess Astrea explained her three strategies.

"However, both the Ishtar Familia and our Hephaestus Familia are large factions controlling crucial industries in the city. A war would have massive and uncontrollable repercussions," Hephaestus thought for a moment before speaking.

'The Ishtar Familia is not the Soma Familia. Regardless of the war's outcome, even if we achieved a great victory, the mere act of "destroying the Ishtar Familia" would be too significant. The subsequent impact and chain reactions might be more than the Hephaestus Familia could handle,' As a goddess, Hephaestus had to consider her numerous followers.

"Yes, that's true," After hearing Hephaestus's concerns, Astrea nodded and continued, "Another strategy is to publicize Haruhime Sanjouno's information or directly hand it over to one of the Freya Familia, Loki Familia, or Ganesha Familia, preferably the Freya Familia, and then...", Astrea made a beheading gesture, "Watch as the Freya Familia destroys the Ishtar Familia, and it will all be over."

The rivalry between [Goddess of Beauty] Freya and [Goddess of Beauty] Ishtar was common knowledge in the city. The Ishtar Familia's preparation of [Sesshou-seki] was undoubtedly aimed at the Freya Familia. If the Freya Familia learned of Haruhime's situation, Goddess Freya would naturally deal with Ishtar in the most ruthless manner.

"However, this might not be a good outcome for the child named Haruhime. Moreover, the city's balance would be severely affected," Astrea continued, "Not only that, but if the Ishtar Familia were to fall, the recently improved situation in the pleasure district might take a sharp turn for the worse."

The Freya Familia's strength was slightly superior to the Loki Familia and Ganesha Familia, but the gap was not insurmountable. The three major Familias maintained a delicate balance.

Any one of the three major Familias obtaining Haruhime could disrupt the balance of power at the city's top, potentially leading to unforeseen consequences.

Furthermore, although some practices and members of the Ishtar Familia were questionable, during the dark ages, they had stood on the side of justice.

Now, the Ishtar Familia was an essential pillar of the city, objectively playing the role of maintaining order.

At least for now, this recently calmed Orario still needed the Ishtar Familia to manage the pleasure district, which was inherently the city's dark side.

Perhaps Goddess Ishtar and her Familia had no intention of doing good, but they had indeed reshaped Orario's "pleasure district." As the patron God of courtesans, Ishtar protected the women who formed the red-light district, yet were in vulnerable positions.

Before the rise of the Ishtar Familia, the pleasure district was controlled by merchant guilds and gangs, where the lives of women were extremely miserable. Human trafficking and forced prostitution were rampant, far worse than the current situation.

Girls who came to Orario dreaming of the city were immediately targeted by guilds or gangs, tricked or forced into signing contracts full of traps. Their innocence and bodies were quickly destroyed, leaving them in debt to the guilds. Such cases were common in the past.

Now, at least within the Ishtar Familia's territory, anyone daring to act so brazenly would face the wrath of Lv.3 battle courtesans wielding swords.

Astrea and Hephaestus, though goddesses of justice, were not naive. They understood that in a city of adventurers like Orario, the demand for the pleasure district would always exist.

And despite Goddess Ishtar's sinister side, she was indeed the only God with both the ability and the will to protect these women, because she and her Familia genuinely regarded "courtesans" as a sacred, noble, and great profession.

Currently, the Ishtar Familia lacked a righteous first-class adventurer to inherit the faction's influence. Their only Lv.5 was a figure with significant moral and intellectual flaws. If the Ishtar Familia were to fall now, the pleasure district might revert to its former, more brutal and chaotic state.

"Indeed... Additionally, I have a personal wish. If possible, I hope the child named Haruhime can join the Hephaestus Familia and become part of our camp," Hephaestus was quite candid about this.

The goddess used the term "our camp."

She said this because of Ryuu, who was not a member of the Hephaestus Familia but, due to her relationship with Emiya, undoubtedly belonged to their side.

And Ryuu alone represented 99% of the Astrea Familia's combat power, after leaving the labyrinth city of Orario, the Astrea Familia had recruited some new members, but those girls were only Lv.1, with no upper-class adventurers who had undergone level upgrades.

Thus, the Astrea Familia could also be considered part of their camp, which was another reason Hephaestus trusted Astrea, aside from believing in her divine nature.

The Fire Goddess's words also hinted to Astrea: she hoped Astrea would consider staying in Orario.

Currently, the Astrea Familia in Orario had only one Lv.5 member, Ryuu, who was under the protection of the [Hostess of Fertility] tavern, making them fearless.

Although Ryuu had not yet updated her status, Hephaestus had already assumed, upon meeting Astrea, that [Gale] was a Lv.5 first-class adventurer.

With Lv.5 [Gale] and the support of the Hephaestus Familia, the Astrea Familia should quickly establish a firm foothold.

Regarding Hephaestus's hint, Astrea neither confirmed nor denied it, continuing to discuss the Ishtar Familia, "If you wish for Haruhime Sanjouno to join the Hephaestus Familia, then the Hephaestus Familia cannot easily take the stage."

"Shirou can act in a personal capacity, but he needs a reasonable excuse," Astrea looked at Emiya, "Additionally, Ryuu can also participate in a personal capacity..."

Astrea pondered, "The basic idea of this strategy is to resolve the matter at a 'personal level,' without escalating it to a 'Familia level.'"

"Haruhime Sanjouno... perhaps we can delve into this child's background."

Astrea thought of her Familia's former vice-captain, Kaguya Gojouno.

Kaguya was a "princess" from the Far East, so Astrea had some knowledge of that distant country.

Kaguya Gojouno's homeland was the Far East, a country composed of several islands.

The ruling body of the Far East was a national-type [Familia], with Gods such as Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo as its patron gods, forming a large composite faction.

Among them, nine ancient families served as high nobles, managing state affairs and steering the country's course.

The [Gojouno] family, to which Kaguya Gojouno belonged, was one of the [Nine Families].

In governance, each family had clear responsibilities. For example, the capital's administration, rituals related to the great Gods, military campaigns against unruly local lords and demons, and so on.

Among these tasks, the [Gojouno] family was responsible for [Fire Extinguishing].

As mediators, their duty was to swiftly eliminate any harmful friction, whether within or outside the [Court], that threatened stability.

Navigating between major organizations, they had always achieved peace and efficient mediation, earning the reputation of [Without Gojouno, fire disasters cannot be avoided].

Haruhime Sanjouno's surname was similar to Kaguya Gojouno's. Astrea recalled that the [Nine Families] of the Far East all had surnames related to numbers, and [Sanjou] was one of them.

"A child from a noble family like [Sanjou], why would they join the Ishtar Familia, which operates brothels and the pleasure district? There must be some hidden story behind this," Astrea analyzed.

Hephaestus, "Could it be human trafficking? If so, that would explain it."

Human trafficking was explicitly prohibited by the laws of the labyrinth city. Thanks to the efforts of major Familias, the situation had improved compared to the dark ages, but shadowy transactions were hard to completely eradicate, and the pleasure district was undoubtedly a hotspot.

Some things, when not weighed, seem light, but once weighed, they become unbearably heavy.

"I remember, at the last gods' meeting, there was a 'Takemikazuchi,' who had just arrived in Orario from the Far East. His captain was Lv.2, so he was eligible to attend the meeting," Hephaestus recalled the strong god who had teared up at the gods' meeting because his captain was given the embarrassing title [Martial God's Son].

"Takemikazuchi Familia? We could inquire about Haruhime Sanjouno's information from them," Astrea said, "We might get crucial information, or even their Familia could play a surprising role..."

'Takemikazuchi', Emiya remembered this name.

"And the key to everything is you, Shirou," Astrea looked at the boy, "You need to do something very important. Considering that the next full moon is in seven days, you must start acting tonight... it might require some sacrifice from you."

Emiya asked seriously, "Yes, what do I need to do?"

Astrea: "First, spend a night in the pleasure district. Go tonight."

Emiya: "Alright... what?"

———

"Achoo!", Far away in the tavern, Ryuu sneezed violently.

———

After Emiya left, Goddess Hephaestus asked softly.

"You said Shirou would act in a 'personal capacity.' Do you think Ishtar will believe it?"

"What matters is not whether she believes it, but whether she 'wants' to believe it," Goddess Astrea spoke calmly, "I will give Ishtar two choices: either believe that Shirou is acting in a 'personal capacity,' and that Ryuu 'happened' to defeat [Man Killer] at the same time."

Goddess Astrea raised her hand, as if her fingertips were balancing a scale.

"Or, face the hammer of the Hephaestus Familia and the sword of the Astrea Familia," She looked out the window, "And that towering spire."

———

"Hey, useless elf, I'm giving you half a day off today. Make up for it next weekend," Mia suddenly walked up to Ryuu and said.

The tall figure of the dwarf boss gave Ryuu a strong sense of oppression, and Mia's words left Ryuu even more confused.

'The boss is proactively giving me a day off? Has the sun risen from the west?'

"Unfair, Mama Mia, the cat wants a day off too, nya!"

"The cat too, nya! We don't get enough days off, nya!"

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